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The Dallas Mavericks extended its winning streak to four games on Wednesday night, dispatching the Golden State Warriors 114-91. With the victory, Dallas (19-13) handed Golden State (29-2) just its second loss of the season.
The win also snapped a seven game losing streak to the Warriors and was Golden State’s worst defeat since a 107-92 loss at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in April of last season. Much of the Warriors struggles were due to injuries, as Golden State was without three of its key players including reigning most valuable player Stephen Curry.
Dallas was clicking on all cylinders from the outset, and began the game shooting a sweltering 52.4 percent from the floor in. Once again, the Mavericks got a big night from guard J.J. Barea, who led all scorers with 23 points while dishing out six assists.
“I’ve been able to help my team a lot the last couple games,” Barea said. “It’s great. They have confidence in me and my teammates have been finding me.”
Without Curry in the lineup, Dallas held Golden State to 42 first half points, its lowest total of the season. Guard Klay Thompson, Curry’s other splash brother, had an off game, finishing with 10 points on 4 of 15 shooting. Guard Wesley Matthews was tasked with defending him for the majority of the game and ended with a plus 11 rating.
“We came in with the mentality and mindset to play hard,” Matthews said. “I just tried to make stuff tough for [Thompson.] That was my focus. To make everything as difficult as possible.”
Dallas eventually jumped out to a 30 point lead in the third quarter, Golden State’s largest deficit of the season. A key reason for the Maverick’s success on offense was its ability to create easy shots. Dallas outscored Golden State 46 to 26 in the paint and out-rebounded the Warriors 52 to 37. Center Zaza Pachulia played an integral role yet again, recording his 17th double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
“He’s a very smart player,” head coach Rick Carlisle said of Pachulia. “He thinks ahead of the curve. And I don’t know if I have seen a five man in this league better at early positioning. He may not be a high flyer, but he gets a lot done.”
For the Mavericks, the win carries them into the New Year on a high note, especially with the tough road that lies ahead. Dallas will play 18 games over the next 31 days, a stretch Carlisle described as “one of the toughest he has ever seen.”
Forward Dirk Nowitzki, who had a quiet 18 points and eight rebounds, said the roll the team is on right now will be big in providing momentum over the next month of action.
“We got a big win, especially going into this tough back-to-back. This is one we wanted to have and we got it,” Nowitzki said.
Next Up: Dallas travels to take on the Miami Heat on New Year’s Day. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CST.
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